The Art of War
by Fallaby Z
Summary: By the eighth year of his reign, every maiden fell for the Fire Lord's handsome looks, superior strength, and smooth words; that is, all but one: his wife. ZukoxOC
1. Painted with Red

**Painted with Red**

_"A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as a pound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain."_

_~Sun Tzu, The Art of War_

Everything was red.

Red lips, red jewels, red gown, red veil...red eyes, raw from crying. My handmaiden, Lulu, held a cooled, damp towel to my eyes in an attempt to reduce the puffiness.

"Miss Kei," she soothed, "you mustn't weep. No bride, much less the future Fire Lady, should be shedding tears of sadness on her wedding day."

"I thought red was lucky," I retorted bitterly, brushing her hands away irritably. "The more luck, the better."

Red was the color of bloodshed. Red was the symbol of sacrifice. It was not a fortuitous statement.

"The people will not want to see their new Lady so weak," Lulu cautioned sternly. "Go and wash your face, and I will reapply your ruined makeup. This time, you will not shed tears for your loss; rather, you shall radiate happiness for your gain." She nodded her head, praising her own wizened words while I fumed quietly to the powder room.

My loss! How dare she refer to my loss so plainly. She of all people knew that I had left my destined betrothed at home. True, he had never actually voiced our engagement, but I was sure that, given one or two more weeks, his offer of marriage would be apparent.

Perhaps Lulu considered wedding the Fire Lord a gift, especially for the daughter of a poor governor on the outskirts of the Fire Nation. However, for the one who had to be ripped apart from her lover...this was no gift. This was a curse.

If she liked the label of the "Fire Lady" so much, why didn't she marry him?

Oh, right. Because I was the governor's noble daughter with the misfortune of catching the Fire Lord's eye, and she was not.

I itched at the gold cuffs on my wrists, wanting to rip the constraints off. They were ornately jeweled and heavy: a symbol of my new status. As Fire Lady, I was to conform to conventional views of a noble lady. That meant no horseback riding, no running barefoot on the sweet morning grass, nothing that I enjoyed freely at home in the country. Maybe they would even take my books from me as well-perhaps ladies of the royal court were not allowed to indulge in scholarly pursuits.

I was a figurative bird locked in the flaming cage of the most powerful man in the nation. Even the Avatar could not save me from this punishment; ironically, Fire Lord Zuko was known to have been befriended by the Last Airbender, long before he ascended to the throne. Even as ten years passed, they were often depicted together amicably along with the Avatar's other comrades: his wife (a waterbender), his brother-in-law (also of the water tribe), and the blind earthbender.

Lulu was right, in a way. There was nothing I could do about it but grit my teeth and paste on a false smile. Father would not take me back, along with my measly dowry; he had already accepted gifts from the Fire Lord, honoring our betrothal, and I knew that they were needed to help fund the rest of our family: my eldest sister, Azuki, blind since birth, and my two rambunctious younger brothers, Kazu and Ruki.

The Fire Lord would be my family in only a couple of hours. I shuddered at the thought.

I had never seen him before, except in pictures that painted him as a forbidding character with a large scar marring his face. He was the greatest firebender in the nation, an excellent general, and a just ruler of our people, but it didn't help the fact that he was, well, formidable. Obviously, I was shocked when a royal messenger arrived at our simple estate six months before, with a letter sealed with the Fire Lord's emblem, asking for my hand in marriage, when I had only met him once at a New Year's banquet-and even then, I'd only stared at his shoes!

I had thought it was some kind of cruel joke and dismissed the idea immediately, thinking that my father did as well, and went back to caring for my disabled older sister. Evidently, my father agreed to the proposition without my assent, only explaining the entire fiasco when the courier returned a month before the actual wedding date, a mountain of luxurious gifts in tow.

It was naive, thinking that I could resist the Fire Lord's will. Whatever had possessed him to want me, the second daughter of an impoverished governor, must have also been the source behind his vanquishment of his skilled younger sister, the former Fire Lord Azula: absolute insanity.

Lifting the hem of my white inner robes, I trudged to the adjoining washroom's sink and splashed my face gingerly with water, watching the black paint lining my eyes run down my cheeks in a clownish fashion. I briefly contemplated getting married in such a look, wondering if I could scare the brutish man off that way.

No such luck; coming up from behind me, Lulu wiped the remnants of the makeup off and began repainting my face immediately.

Once every inch of skin was buffed, powdered, and painted, Lulu helped me into my heavy bridal gown. Also a bright red (surprise surprise), it was encrusted with rubies, glimmering with each step I took. It was also extremely heavy, and probably cost two or three times more than what my house back home did when it was actually in good condition.

After the dress came the rings: my gold betrothal ring, my family ring, and the simple purity ring that I had worn since thirteen. My new husband would remove my family's ring, signifying my departure from the house of my childhood, and my purity ring, symbolizing my fulfillment of womanhood. In its place on top of my betrothal ring, he would bestow upon me a band of marriage.

Yet another symbol of confinement and of expectation: I was to be bedded by the strongest man in the nation. I was to mother the future Fire Lord of our country.

My mind drifted to thoughts of my Fan, a Firebending soldier that was stationed near my home. His arched nose, his dimpled cheeks, the way he laughed and ruffled my hair-no. No, I could not think of him, for fear of drawing more tears. Instead, I chewed my lip and let Lulu slide my feet into my flimsy bridal slippers.

Before she circled my chair to set to work on my hair, Lulu patted my cheek tenderly. "You must smile, my lady. You are doing a great favor to your family." Her fingers parted the long strands of my hair, weaving ribbons through it into what was sure to be an intricate braid.

A favor. At the cost of my own happiness, ironically enough.

I found myself hating my father, for squandering our money, my mother, for dying and leaving me alone, my sister, for being too blind to be of any use, my brothers, for being too young to understand or do anything. And finally, I hated the Fire Lord: for being a horrible, cruel person who would willingly rip a woman away from her family without her consent.

The Fire Lord would have his wife.

But when he did, he would regret it-because, whether he liked it or not, this was war.

* * *

The time had come.

Lifting my chin in a way that almost appeared pompous, I steadied my gait and focused on not tripping over the hem of my skirts. The royal wedding ceremony, thankfully, was traditionally only attended by the bride, groom, and the priest overseeing the event. The married couple would then declare their binding to their people with a kiss on the balcony, which would be for all of the capital to see.

That was also the part I was the most nervous about.

"Lady Kei Long, arriving!" The doorman's shout jolted me out of my reverie; he and another man pulled open the double doors that led to the ceremonial room.

Red, again. How original.

I kept my eyes focused on the emblem of the Fire Nation on the furthest wall, deliberately ignoring the tall shape that turned towards me at the sound of my name. When it got too obvious that my eyes were directed upwards, I focused instead on on the priest: a plump, old man, whose flinty eyes did nothing to ease my trepidation.

Reminding myself to breathe, I steadied my stance as I stopped beside the towering figure next to me.

I felt the Fire Lord's presence rather than actually seeing it; how could I not? Standing at just below his shoulder, I was crushed by his powerful being, the authority rolling off of his very body in waves. He was not as bulky, however, as most men involved in the military or government were. In fact, he was quite lean, his shoulders broad and his back ramrod straight.

Facing my fears, I finally took my first real look at him, flinching when his flinty, golden eyes met mine. Cold and removed, they sent shivers down my spine, especially the one warped by his disfigurement. The shock of the large, mottled scar warping a good fourth of his face settled as the nerves intervened. I felt my knees wobble dangerously, and I fought to keep still.

He surprised me by taking my hands in a steady, firm grip. "You may begin." I realized belatedly that he was gesturing for the priest to commence the proceedings.

His hands were large, much larger than mine, and calloused from what must have been years of training. They were warm, and more comforting than I had previously expected. I could not allow myself to relish in that small escape, however; this man was my enemy. This man ripped me from everything I loved. This was the man I hated.

Before I knew it, the Fire Lord had said his vows. "I, Zuko, son of Ozai, take you, Kei, daughter of Kawa, as my wife. On my honor as a man of Fire, I vow to love you and cherish you as my Lady and the mother of my children, forever more." His voice was strong, echoing in the great ceremonial hall.

Well, at least one of us was confident.

Mother. Children. Love. Forever. These words had meant much to me before. Did it mean anything now?

The priest was prompting me to begin speaking. I took a deep breath and pushed the unwilling words off my lips. "I, Kei, daughter of Kawa, take you, Zuko, son of Ozai, as my husband. On my devotion as a woman of Fire, I vow to l-love you and cherish you as my Lord and the father of my children, forever more." I flushed as I stumbled over the word 'love'.

I did not love this man.

The Fire Lord's grip tightened infinitesimally as he slid my rings off, one by one: first my family ring, and then my girlhood ring. Then, from a nearby pillow, he retrieved my wedding ring: a simple band of solid gold, with a single precious diamond set in the center. I was surprised at this-considering that the entire decor seemed to be centered around 'red', I was expected the ring to match my betrothal ring, which included rubies in the set of jewels.

We were silent as I stared at the ring on my finger and he stared at my bowed forehead.

It was my turn now.

This was my last chance to back out.

I took the groom's ring from the stand parallel to the bride's ring stand. It too was a simple band of gold, but without a jewel of any kind.

Weighing it in my hand, I realized the gravity of this simple circle of metal. If I threw it on the ground, I would not only be doing a disservice to my family, but to the nation, who had impatiently celebrated the occasion for months hence. I would be blatantly disrespecting the man before me, who had saved the nation from inevitable downfall and tyranny. I would be spitting in the face of the country's hero, the Avatar's friend.

I slid the ring onto the Fire Lord's fourth finger, hands shaking despite themselves.

We were husband and wife now.

A sigh let loose from both of our chests, as if we were simultaneously holding our breaths. Though that would be funny...after all, what did the Fire Lord have to fear? He was the one who had the command of the entire situation, not I.

As if on cue, he took my hand. I tried not to cringe from the contact. "Shall we?"

I avoided his eyes. Hopefully he didn't notice. "Yes, my lord."

The Fire Lord did not reply, but proceeded quickly in brisk, long steps towards the balcony, where I heard the murmurs of the crowd. As we emerged, a great mumbling drew up from the people as they shuffled their feet, anticipating our response.

The Fire Lord planted his feet solidly in front of mine and swooped down, his hand tilting my chin upwards. I braced myself for the contact.

Instead, I felt his breath ghost over my lips gently. "You are my wife. You will call me by my name, understand?" Down went his lips, but just as quickly as they'd touched mine, they were gone. He bent to whisper in my ear, no doubt playing up the image of an intimate couple to the now-roaring crowd. "Also, I would prefer if you actually looked me in the eyes for once. My scar is not too horrible to look at, I hope?"

His tone was bordering on jovial, but I detected a sort of cold aloofness in his language and swallowed. Nervously, I forced myself to look up at him. "Of course not." I attempted to smile. "...Zuko."

The Fire Lord's mouth twitched up into a smile, though his eyes were steely and maybe even bitter. Him, bitter? I fought the urge to snort. I was the one suffering here. Why was he angry at me?

Something must have shown on my face, because his face suddenly cleared and he turned to the crowd, his voice strong, stronger and louder than it had been in the ceremonial room. "Citizens...your queen!"

Frightened, I stared out at the immense crowd, stepping backwards slightly as their roars welled up mightily once more. People were cheering, throwing petals up in the air. Many waved strips of red cloth as well, a symbol of not only luck but, embarrassingly enough, fertility.

So was that all I amounted to? A walking womb?

A little sob erupted from my tightly pursed lips; instantly, the Fire Lord put a heavy arm around my shoulders, jerking me back into the building. When we were safely out of sight, I pushed away from him, surprised when his grip loosened immediately.

We were silent for a long time. I seemed to be looking at every inch of the room except him.

The priest had exited the ceremonial room long ago. The red decor was glistening against the flickering candles, about to sputter and die out.

A stream of fire whipped out from behind me, lighting all of the candles and painting the entire room in a golden glow.

His voice was soft, beckoning. Almost like a serpent. "Please look at me."

Firebending. I thought of Fan, my firebender, a lump forming in my throat as the image of the grinning, dimpled man sprung to life in my mind. "I don't want to talk to you." My voice caught at the last word, and I swallowed hard in an attempt to press the surmounting tears down.

"I am asking nicely, Kei." His voice was stern now. Who was he to call me by my given name? Oh, right. The Fire Lord. "You must understand that this is beyond your power."

"My _power_?" I choked disbelievingly. Turning, I ripped my veil out of my hair, the braids that Lulu had painstakingly wound around my head tumbling down into unruly, wavy locks reaching down my back. "Since when do I have power? I have no say in anything, not anymore."

Dropping the veil at his boot-clad feet, I rushed out of the room, stumbling over the hem of my gown twice but picking up my pace as I went. I was never a very good runner nor was I extremely agile, so it was no surprise when I took a dive towards the floor, the heavy dress weighing me down. I stayed there for a couple of seconds, just digging my face into the marble as I fought the tears threatening to spill over my cheeks.

All was silent. No guards. The Fire Lord was not chasing me, thank God. No-there were footsteps. I tensed, already crawling onto my knees, then:

_"Get her."_

A whispered voice shocked me into attention as I saw a blur of black from behind me and two feet, clad in two black boots quite similar to the Fire Lord's, step directly into my view. I was lifting my head to see what kind of person owned these shoes when a sharp blow directly to the back of my head caused everything to sway before fading to oblivion.

* * *

I woke up flat on my back, staring at the thatched ceiling blankly.

My first thought was that my head was aching, even more than the time when I downed two bottles of wine after first hearing of the news of my engagement. After vomiting for what seemed like hours and waking up with a panging headache, I decided not to drink spirits unless absolutely necessary.

Hands tied behind my back, I struggled to turn in an effort to see where I was. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately after all), my wedding dress was weighing me down, so even with my hands bound, I found it difficult to move.

Slowly, it dawned on me that I had been kidnapped. On my wedding day. Right under the Fire Lord's nose.

Panic. Complete panic.

Thrashing on the floor, I struggled in much more earnest this time to get my bearings and sit up. The dirt floor was, well, dirty, and my wedding dress was sure to be ruined, but I continued doing a sort of caterpillar-roll over to the wooden wall in an attempt to sit up.

When I finally calmed down (though my heart continued to race), I surveyed the room frantically. It seemed to be a small, abandoned cottage; quite primitive, its one window revealed the glowing moonlight.

How many hours had it been? Where was I? How would I get back? Would I even get back alive?

I found myself wishing that I'd just stayed silent and was with the Fire Lord-at least then, I had some idea of where I was and who was with me.

The door slammed open, and I flinched despite myself.

"Awake, are we?" The man shrouded his face with a mask painted black, white, and gold, with a streak of red running down where his left eye should have been. Every single part of him was covered with some kind of armor. Even his gloves had metal attached to it.

I stayed silent as he shifted closer, his boots coming down hard against the stone floor. Stopping right in front of me, so close that our toes almost touched, he chuckled and folded his arms behind his back. "You're trembling with fear, you little thing. I can see why the great Fire Lord set his eyes on you."

Looking down, I saw that he was right: my entire body was shaking. I sat even stiffer in an attempt to still my quakes. "What do you want with me?" I asked as defiantly as I could. "Ransom? Bargaining chip?"

The masked man merely laughed, crouching down to my level and reaching out to grasp my chin in his hand. Struggling was futile, but I did it anyway. He chortled once more, mockingly. "The poor, helpless Fire Lady. Soon, you will be clothed in the blood of your people." The cool, gloved fingertips left my chin to untie my bonds, setting me free. When he finished, the masked man stood up and turned, heading towards the door.

"You have not answered my question," I spat at his back. "What was the purpose of all this? Why take me and let me go?"

"To make a point," the masked man answered. "To show the great Fire Lord that the rebels are strong enough to take his beloved Lady right under his nose."

"Really." Narrowing my eyes, I struggled to my feet, swaying as the blood rushed to my head. "Somehow-I don't think that's all there's to it."

The masked man cackled. "You're right, it's not. That was the boss's objective. This," he pulled off his glove to reveal a scarred hand, "is my objective."

"What are you doing?" Frightened, I attempted to get to the door, eyes not straying from his hand, which was beginning to glow a strange gold color.

"Nothing that will hurt terribly," he replied coolly, easily cornering me in five long strides. "This is for your own good...so you won't completely embarrass yourself at the main event."

I opened my mouth to ask just what the "main event" was, but found myself screaming instead as he struck me down with a searing, glowing hand.

"Shut...up!" he shouted, his hand on my arm insistent and painful as his other hand clamped down on my mouth.

The gesture alone shocked me into reacting, and I bit down hard on his gloved fingers just long enough to wrench my arm away from his grip. The red mark from where he'd touched me was already fading, but I ran across the room anyway, stepping on the delicate train of my gown and ripping the hem off entirely.

Still, I continued to rush towards the door, almost halfway there before the masked man clamped a bare hand on my other arm, causing the same burning sensations to sizzle through my veins again. Twisting myself around, I attempted a pathetic scratch at the man's face and was surprised when a streak of hot flames shot out from my outstretched palm.

Screaming again, I yanked my arm out of his reach and resumed my mad dash out the door, the tingling feeling still lingering on my fingertips.

_I am not a firebender._

I had never been talented in that particular area-my brothers, I knew, had showed the signs when they were young, and it became painfully obvious that they were firebenders when they almost set my hair on fire while I was cooking breakfast.

But me? I was twenty-two and was a normal girl all my life. So how?

No matter. The first order of business was to escape.

Throwing the door open, I found that the thatched cottage was in the center of a dense forest. I paused only long enough to choose a random thicket of trees to head into before gathering my skirts and dashing into the woods.

Five minutes in, I was already feeling sick and lightheaded, but when I heard a twig snap behind me, I muffled a scream and kept running. My delicate wedding shoes were already wearing out from the rough forest terrain, and my dratted skirts insisted on getting caught in the branches, ripping sharply and leaving a ragged scrap of scarlet cloth behind.

There was no time to mourn the destruction of the dress: I persisted through the forest, making a sharp turn before I slammed face first into the masked man.

Yelling again, I threw up my arms. The flames that subsequently flew out elicited another loud scream as I backed away, the heat making my eyes water.

The fire was extinguished abruptly, revealing-

"Zuko?" I found myself croaking out his name in relief, shoulders sagging as I felt my knees give out from under me.

The Fire Lord looked completely composed, and I wouldn't have guessed that he'd been running through the forest except for the faint sheen of sweat coating his forehead. His eyes traced over my body carefully without a word. Suddenly self-conscious, I bunched up the hem of my now-ruined wedding dress even more, squirming under his stare.

He didn't say anything before shooting a long train of fire into the air, perhaps a signal of some sort, and then strode forward, collecting me in his arms none too gently.

Wincing a bit when the movement jostled my aching arm, I wondered if he was perhaps angry at me, one for my angry tirade not five minutes after our wedding, and two, for leading him on a merry chase all day on, again, our wedding day. Not that it really meant anything for either of us (the whole ceremonial bonding, that is), but it was still important, in a way.

So I hung on, biting my tongue as he was joined by a large group of men dressed in firebender uniform, listening as he gave quiet orders to them, his grip on my shoulder and legs tightening infinitesimally as he began walking briskly through the trees, avoiding the sharper branches and shielding me from most of them anyway. Half of the men broke away to find my captor, while the other half stayed to escort us back to our mode of transportation.

I was torn between bursting into hysterical tears or slapping the Fire Lord for no reason at all; his chivalrous acts hadn't made me sympathize with him the least bit. Sheer exhaustion was the only thing that kept me obedient in his arms, so instead, I chose to brood over my newfound ability to firebend. I was too afraid to experiment again and risk burning the forest down, so I resorted to contemplating different plausible explanations for this phenomenon.

Applauding myself for acting in a relatively un-hysterical manner, I considered the two different hypotheses for the new ability: either my latent firebending ability had somehow unearthed itself in my shock, or the masked man had some kind of fantastical power that could insert bending into a non-bender.

I shuddered to think about it; no, that could not be possible.

The Fire Lord seemed to take notice of the shiver and misinterpret it as a reaction to the night air. Responding by drawing me closer to him (_he was so warm_), he finally spoke:

"Are you all right?"

And just with those four simple words, he seemed to have let the floodgates open.

The Fire Lord paused for a minute as I wordlessly whimpered into his shoulder, the soldiers thankfully coughing and turning away discreetly. Hesitantly, his hand around my shoulder shifted to pat it gently...even more gently than I believed a mighty Fire Lord like him could have.

Telling myself that a temporary truce would be in place for the time being, I wrapped my arms around his neck and set my fears free. When my loud, hacking sobs had quieted to sniffles, the Fire Lord continued to walk through the forest, his soldiers falling in pace beside us as well.

He spoke to me softly, as if the guards could not hear. "I apologize for being so late."

"It's all right," I mumbled back, incoherently, "he didn't hurt me much, really." Besides figuratively setting both my arms on fire, that is.

The man stilled for a brief second before grunting brusquely, suddenly cranky once more, as we entered a clearing where a Fire Nation carriage was waiting. Dumping me onto the padded seats, he shut the door firmly before going to talk with the guards that had just returned. Their voices were hushed and muffled; obviously, whatever they were talking about was not meant for my ears.

Huffing, I wiped my eyes defiantly before reaching down to slip my tattered wedding slippers off my feet. The soft shoes that had been such a vibrant red that very morning had been ripped apart and caked with dirt. I didn't have to look at my feet to know that they were bruised, blistered, and quite filthy as well.

Turning to my gown, I heaved a long sigh as I lifted up the heavy, jewel-encrusted gown, poking my arm through a giant tear on the side. Mending it would be near possible, but I felt a grim satisfaction at its dilapidated state: I had not liked the dress much, anyway.

_Maybe we could detach the jewels from the gown and sell them?_ I rolled the idea around in my mind before concluding that the dress would, at the very least, not be burnt. If I had to make curtains out of them, I would.

The door to the carriage opened as the Fire Lord slid into the seat opposite me, arms folded and face grim. As the carriage began moving, he glanced at my bare, bloodied feet, and then at my badly-torn clothing before tossing a small bag into my lap.

Silently, I unzipped it to find clothing, among them a simple dress that was far from opulent, though I wasn't about to complain.

"We are at the moment on our honeymoon," the Fire Lord spoke briskly, boring holes out of the window. "It was a convenient excuse to explain your mysterious absence."

Oh. Wonderful. I noticed for the first time that the Fire Lord was wearing equally commonplace robes and was without his crown.

"Are we disguising ourselves?" I asked, though I could guess the answer.

"It's too dangerous to return to the capital at the moment. We will be traveling to Ba Sing Se to stay with my uncle." The Fire Lord paused to give me a look. "I will be meeting with some people to discuss the latest turn of events."

His pointed look and the lack of a 'we' in his last sentence did not go unnoticed. I narrowed my eyes. "I have just as much of a right to be included, considering that I am the one who got kidnapped."

"Abducted," he corrected quickly. "You're not a minor."

I rolled my eyes, feeling especially brash. "The point is, you cannot exclude me! After all," I added, "I know things about the _masked man_."

"The masked man?" The Fire Lord's eyelids flew open, and his golden eyes shifted to connect with mine in a shattering, piercing gaze. "What about him?"

The fact that he'd saved me despite my blatant dislike of him had emblazoned me, and I straightened before answering him coyly, "Oh, I don't know. This is a little secret between the masked man and me." I smiled primly, shaking out the clean dress and laying it down next to me. "You're not _included_."

_Take that, you domineering troll._

"Don't test me," he immediately whispered back. "You tell me, now, or else."

"Or what?" I challenged, folding my arms, my voice rising. "Or you'll threaten me? Hit me?"

Suitably affronted, the Fire Lord re-folded his arms and pressed his lips together into a thin line. "Of course not."

"Don't exclude me," I murmured, my voice much softer. "That is all I ask for."

The carriage was silent, except for the sound of the carriage jostling over several bumps in the uneven road. We held each other's gazes in a tense staring contest, neither of us willing to look away first.

"Fine." His answer was short and terse. Obviously unhappy with the situation, he propped his elbow up on the window ledge and stared out into the night sky.

"Fine," I repeated, just as irritably but not without a sense of accomplishment, before I reached behind my back to undo the laces of my tattered dress.

The Fire Lord jumped so high in his seat that you'd think there was a bomb. With a terrified expression that was almost comical and completely unbefitting, the man leaped across the carriage to stop my hands from untying the back of my dress.

"...Is there something wrong?" I asked slowly, frozen in my position.

His response was hurried and more than a little nervous. "Why are you taking off your clothes?"

"Well, I need to change, don't I?" I deadpanned. "Lord Zuko," I amended after a moment's thought.

Disgusted, he sprang across the carriage once more to pointedly gaze out at the scenery. "I told you," he grumbled almost incomprehensibly, "you are to call me Zuko. You are my wife. Don't forget that."

I slid the heavy wedding dress down my knees, shivering due to the draft let in by the thin shift underneath the gown, the familiar sense of dread seeping back into my consciousness.

He is my husband now.

The Fire Lord is my husband now.

_Zuko_ is my husband now.

My tone subdued, I could only stare at my wedding ring forlornly. "I know." Sighing, I bent to put on the new dress, leaving the old one on the seat and removing my wedding finery. The ceremony seemed so far in the past already, but I still didn't feel comfortable with the Fire Lord in the least; however, arguing with him without any immediate repercussion was an improvement.

When I was suitably attired once more with a new pair of shoes on my feet, the Fire Lord-Zuko, I mean-turned back to begin his interrogation. "Tell me everything that happened," he commanded.

I flinched, bristling at his tone, but complied despite my discomfort. "I woke up in the cottage. My hands were bound, and it was night time already. I don't remember anything before that, though.

"The masked man came in not five minutes after I awoke. He was dressed in all sorts of armor-even his gloves were armored, and he had a mask on: it was gold, black, and white, and had a little red streak running down the left eye socket." I hesitated, struggling to remember what he had said. "He said...that he was part of a rebel group. A revolutionist movement, I suppose."

"The Scarlet Tear," the Fire Lord muttered.

I snapped my head up questioningly. He waved me off. "Continue." When I stayed silent, he heaved another loud sigh. "I will explain _later_." Emphasis on 'later'.

Satisfied, I kept talking. "He said that the point was, well, to make a point. To show that they were strong enough." I paused, recalling the events that had followed. "He was not the leader of the group...at least, he mentioned a 'boss', so I assumed that he wasn't. There's supposed to be a 'main event' after this..."

"Did he say when?" Zuko asked insistently, almost about to spring out of his seat. His hands clutched the edge of the bench to the point that his knuckles turned white.

I shook my head, and he leaned back, disappointed, hands relaxing. "A-and then..." My hands began to shake at the thought of what happened afterward, and I sat on them in an attempt to still them again. "He said that he had his own objective for kid-_abducting_ me. He p-pulled off his glove, and his hand-you won't believe me when I say this, but his hand started _glowing_." I swallowed hard. "He did something to my arms, I'm not exactly sure what, but for some reason I've developed firebending skills?" The last part I said as fast as I could.

When there was no response, I decided to make myself seem less like a lunatic. "I-I'm not saying that he has the power to make nonbenders benders, though that might be possible, but maybe something happened and I somehow...?" I trailed off, because it sounded pathetic even to my ears.

"There have been cases where nonbenders with the latent ability to bend have unearthed their skills in times of stress," the Fire Lord answered after another pause. "Additionally, not all firebenders are discovered when they are children."

That particular fact made me sigh with relief. "That's good, then."

"I will instruct you how to control your powers once we are suitably housed," he replied dourly.

_Control? Not fight? Then how will I ever be able to protect myself?_ When I voiced that exact thought out loud, I was met with immediate rejection. "You will never fight," he snapped. "You will never _have_ to fight."

"Not even as a defense?" I protested, beginning to feel angry again. "What if I get kid-_abducted_ again?"

"You won't," Zuko retorted, cool as ice, "this mishap was merely a lapse in foresight on my part."

I slapped my forehead. _This will take a while._

* * *

Zuko, to my frustration, refused to give me any details about the situation until we were able to meet with his friends (whose names he also refused to disclose, that stubborn mule). All I knew at the moment was that the masked man was part of a rebel group called the Scarlet Tear, and that we were going to Ba Sing Se to meet with his uncle, the former General Iroh, at his tea house, the Jasmine Dragon.

After traveling to the coast, we split from the guards and walked to the ports to catch a ride on a ship heading to the next continent over. From there, we would be meeting with Zuko's friend, and travel to Ba Sing Se together.

Zuko paid for our tickets and turned to me, frowning almost instinctively (_why was he always so grumpy?_) and gathering our things (a large bag and the small bag he had thrown at me earlier). We were both silent as I followed him below deck and into a small room.

Furnished simply with a cot just big enough for two, a chair, and a small table with a jug of water, the room contained no decorations of any kind except a small tartan rug and a lantern that looked just about ready to go out. The Fire Lord seemed not to be perturbed at the dearth of luxury, and immediately rummaged in the large bag to take out two long swords.

"What are those for?" I asked, sitting on the chair and using a handkerchief dipped in the water to clean off the worst of my wounds. The water stung against the scrapes on my legs, and I winced visibly.

He just gave me a look and unsheathed one of them. The blade glinting dangerously in the flickering lantern light, I looked away and swallowed nervously, folding the handkerchief and setting it on the table. Both the sword and the Fire Lord's strangely colored eyes were far too fierce for this time of night, and I was tired anyway...

"I-I'll just go to sleep then..." I trailed off as I inched quickly towards the bed.

"Wait." One word from him, and I froze mid-motion. Zuko sheathed the sword again and slipped a hand into the large bag again. When he found whatever he was looking for, he stood and strode over to me. "Your cuts will get infected if we don't treat them. Water won't be enough."

"I can do that myself," I protested, shying away from him and his stupid red-gold eyes immediately.

He paused, but only for about half a second. "Shut up and let me do it."

Kneeling at the cot, he made me sit down before placing one of my legs onto his knee and shifting the hem of my dress upwards, leaving the area below my knees bare. Placing a jar of something (ointment?) onto the floor, he unscrewed it and dipped a finger into the whiteish mixture before slathering it mercilessly over my abrasions, not stopping until my legs felt like they were on fire and a heavy smell of menthol permeated the room.

I could feel a flush beginning to show on the back of my neck. Even Fan hadn't touched my legs in this manner, even if the Fire Lord was acting rather removed.

Once he had finished with my legs and feet, he glanced at my face. "You have a bump on the back of your head," he remarked (as if I wasn't aware of it already). "Sit sideways." When I complied, he sat behind me and parted my hair with his fingers, searching for the bump from where the masked man had hit me. When he prodded it roughly, I inadvertently yelped and whirled around, covering the back of my head to defend it.

"Ouch!" I shrieked, angrily glaring at the man sitting behind me out of habit. Realizing abruptly just who I was talking to, I bit my lip against an inevitable scathing retort and instead mumbled, "Please be gentler..."

Quietly, the Fire Lord responded by touching the bump carefully. When his fingers moved from ghosting over the swelling area to somehow tangling themselves in my straight, unkempt hair, he clutched the hair in his palm and seemed to be at a loss of what to say. "Kei, I..." He trailed off. "...I have a friend who will be able to heal the bump. For now, just bear with it and sleep."

Wordlessly, I nodded and snuggled obediently into the blankets, fully clothed, stiffening only slightly when the cot sank down with his entire weight. There was nothing to fear at the moment; Zuko would not try to bed me. Not here. Not now. _Not yet_, a traitorous part of my mind whispered.

I dug my head further into my pillow to block it out.

Ignoring the sensation of warm breath against my neck, I fell into a fitful sleep.

END

_Why am I doing this to myself? I just released a new story, and now another one...though I've been working on this particular chapter for a while, on and off. As you might have deduced, this story begins after Zuko has been Fire Lord for some time. (He's about 25 or 26 at this point.) His hair has grown out, he's more mature, if a little bit sterner and more stoic. I am assuming that his breakup with Mai was permanent, though she may or may not make an appearance in TAOW._

_I hope Kei doesn't come off as "perfect" to you. She's rather childish and selfish, perhaps even a bit snobbish and arrogant at times. She doesn't like to lose, and she certainly doesn't like to lose to Zuko, but as you can tell, she's already bending at this point. However, I don't plan on this continuing for long._

_I apologize for the long A/N. I assure you that they won't be as long in the coming chapters. If you could drop a review, that would be wonderful._

**Next Chapter: Flying Above Clouds.**


	2. Flying above Clouds

**Flying Above Clouds**

_"Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content." _

_~Sun Tzu, The Art of War_

Awakening with an unfamiliar and almost unbearably heavy arm over your waist is not the most pleasant feeling. Barely stifling a scream, I flipped around to see the Fire Lord snoring softly into my pillow. My pillow. Not his.

How did he even get over here? Well, not surprisingly, since the bed was barely a couple feet wide.

In any case, I needed to get out of the room. Urgently.

Slowly, I wiggled out of his grasp and lightly tiptoed off the cot, wincing when the cold iron floor made contact with my bare feet. Shuffling quietly over to the jug of water on the side table, I splashed my face quickly and rinsed out my mouth.

I peeked over my shoulder.

Still snoring. Good.

Lithely, I tiptoed to the door, opening it just widely enough for my body to fit through, and finally exited the room.

I hadn't the faintest idea of what time it was, so I decided to go to the upper decks to ask one of the shipmates; perhaps he would be more forthcoming in information than Zuko was.

The morning air was brisk and windy; I regretted not bringing along a jacket and hopped around in my bare feet, attempting to warm up when someone threw a large jacket over my shoulders.

Whirling around, I was met with a grinning face dressed in a navy uniform. "Good mornin', missy," the young man said. "Looking a wee bit cold there, aren't you?"

"Yes," I breathed, basking in the jacket's warmth. "Is the morning air at sea always this cold?"

"Only until around eleven," the sailor answered jovially. "Then it starts to heat up." He extended a large hand to me. "My name's Koko. What's yours?"

Koko was a young man, obviously from the country-perhaps he grew up near the sea, if his tanned skin was any signifier. Light-haired and blue-eyed, I couldn't help but revel at the difference he had with the pale and black-haired Zuko, though they seemed to be about the same age.

"Kei," I had to shout, what with the wind almost carrying my voice away. Koko pumped my hand up and down excitedly.

"Well, Kei, it's nice to meet you!" he yelled, grinning despite only wearing a thin shirt now that I had effectively stolen his jacket from him. "Where are you heading to?"

I opened my mouth to say 'Ba Sing Se', then thought better of it. If we were going in secret, it probably wasn't a good idea to disclose our location so easily. "I'm not sure," I said instead, "my husband told me it'd be a surprise."

"Husband?" Quickly, Koko's eyes flashed down to my left hand, spying the rings immediately. He backed away. "Oh, uh, you're kind of...young to be married, aren't you?"

"It was arranged," I answered simply. "What about you? Are you married to the seas, or do you have a special someone back home?"

He flushed and shifted from foot to foot. "Ah...I-"

I felt an arm wrap firmly around my shoulders, drawing me close. "Excuse us." A head above me, Zuko frowned at the sailor before returning the jacket to its rightful owner, replacing Koko's with a cream-colored one that fitted me perfectly.

"Zu-uh, darling! Wait!" I attempted to twist my head to wave sheepishly at the sailor. "See you around, Koko! It was lovely meeting you!"

A small smile on his face, Koko lifted a hand in acknowledgment before turning to busy himself with something else.

When we were safely below deck, I hissed, "What were you_ thinking_, Zuko?"

"No, what were _you_thinking?" Zuko snarled back, the wrinkles in between his eyebrows as sharp as ever. He muttered something about "cavorting" and "jackets" before turning to glare at me once more. "From now on, you are Kei Yue. I am Lee Yue. We are going to-"

"I told Koko that you were keeping our destination a surprise," I offered, hoping that we wouldn't get into another argument. At the rate Zuko was going, he was sure to send himself into a tizzy, which would surely anger me as well. "I thought it best not to disclose our location..."

"Good. At least you're somewhat thinking." He pushed me into our room, where a simple breakfast of bread and tea was laid out. "Eat, and don't go out. I won't be back until lunchtime."

"But-" It was no use. Zuko slammed the door, leaving me in the dark room by myself.

I sighed, sitting down at the chair and dunking some of the bread into the tea leisurely. I had, after all, a lot of time on my hands.

* * *

After pawing through the rest of my personal bag and discovering that there was absolutely nothing of interest, I amused myself by shooting sparks up into the air.

Now that I had somewhat gotten used to the fact that, for the time being, I had the skills of a firebender (albeit a very unskilled one), the tingly feeling of warmth bursting from my fingertips gradually became a little bit more familiar with each rousing spark. After experimenting with the lantern, I found I was able to shakily light and extinguish the flame, and had fun shrouding the room in darkness and lighting it up a second later.

Time ticked by slowly as I waited for the Fire Lord's return. Gazing at the closed door wistfully, I thought that perhaps, surely, a short walk just outside the door wouldn't hurt.

Setting the lantern back onto the table, I crept slowly towards the door, stuffing my feet into the shoes I had tossed by the table the night before.

I was hesitant to stick even a toe out of the door before I began laughing at myself. Why was I so frightened of a simple man? Sure, he was the most important man in the country, but he was nowhere to be found! I could go anywhere I wanted, but I just needed to be back before he noticed. Besides, how could there possibly be danger on the ship?

Confidently, I threw open the door and strode proudly on deck. I'd give myself a good five minutes of fresh air, and then I'd be back, Zuko none the wiser.

I didn't see Koko again, but the sun was out and shining, making the ocean much more inviting than it was that morning. Going to stand over next to a young girl clad in a yellow dress, I leaned over the railing to stare wistfully into the deep blue waters.

"I wonder if there are dolphins," the girl said suddenly.

I laughed. "Either way, it'll be cold. I wouldn't recommend swimming in that ocean anytime soon."

Turning, she grinned widely, the apples in her cheeks prominent against her deep dimples. "But don't you want to swim with the dolphins?" Leaning dangerously over the railing, she sighed blissfully. "They just seem so close..."

"Hey, don't get too close or you'll-" Just as I warned her, the girl slipped over the railing and tumbled down into the ocean. Immediately, I screamed and looked for the nearest sailor, panicking. "There's a-a-" The words seemed to have trouble tumbling out of my mouth in any form but an incoherent squeak.

The sailor screwed up his face at me. "Say what?"

"A child just fell overboard!" I managed to get out, before leaning over the railing to see what was happening. The girl had bobbed out of the water, sputtering and flailing desperately. "Someone needs to go down there, quick!"

Finally grasping the gravity of the situation, the sailor rushed off to find someone else. "Child overboard!" he yelled, while I turned my attention back to the girl.

"Calm down!" I shouted over the furious breeze. "We're going to help you!"

The girl tried to say something, but swallowed a mouthful of salt water and began coughing. She flailed again, and I managed to make out two words that made my blood run cold: "Can't swim!"

Unfreezing after half a second, I searched fruitlessly for help from the sailor but to no avail, and quickly tossed off my shoes in a preparation to dive into the water. The ship was rather high up from the ocean, and briefly, I contemplated waiting for some 'experienced help' to come to the rescue. Another wail from below me made me wince, and I took two deep breaths: one to calm my nerves, and another for the jump down.

_Okay, it's not TOO high. You can do this, Kei, it's just like jumping off a diving board._

Crawling to the metal bar, I gripped it for a semblance of comfort, squeezing my eyes shut as I stared into the blue waters below. A look to see if the sailor had returned proved to be useless-he didn't look like he was returning anytime soon. Pinching myself hard, I shook myself before launching myself off the bar.

The rush of air was almost thrilling until I slammed into the water at full force, breathing in a lungful of water and hacking it up. Instantly, I felt myself pulled down by the girl, who was thrashing around wildly.

"Shh," I told her in between coughs, "stay still. We'll be rescued in a moment."

The words didn't do much to reassure me either, so I instead tried to doggy-paddle back to the ship with her on my back. A moment later, I heard cries from overhead, a round lifesaver soon following.

_Sweet relief._I relinquished the girl, her pretty curls now sopping wet, to the safety on board, waiting for the lifesaver to return for me as well. Growing up near the ocean helped me to overcome my initial fear of water, but it was heights that frightened me the most.

By the time they hauled me back on the deck, it struck me that there was no way now for Zuko to not notice my wet hair and clothes. If he somehow managed to overlook my blatantly soggy state, then my red arms from where I'd hit the water were a sure indicator that something was off.

Waving away the throng of people that had surrounded me, I tried to hobble back to the room as discreetly as possible. It was a valiant effort on my part, except that I left an awful trail of wet footsteps as I shuffled past the crew.

When I finally got to the door of our room, I knew I was in for a verbal thrashing. Part of me hoped that my "brilliant" plan would still go on without a hitch, but the rational side of me saw the truth: there was no way I was getting out of this one unscathed, Fire Lady or not.

The Fire Lord, to say the least, was unamused. His golden eyes were practically shooting sparks, and his deep-creased frown seemed harsher than usual. Sitting in the chair directly facing the door, he folded his arms and stared me down, eyebrows drawn sharply downwards in a V.

I closed the door silently, a no doubt guilty expression on my face.

We stood there (or rather, he sat there) in absolute silence.

Somehow, the verbal thrashing seemed much more inviting than the seething quietness my husband was now exuding.

Fidgeting, I allowed him to examine me from across the room, his face showing no expression, though his eyes were a different matter entirely. They flashed a crimson red, for a moment, as he took in my bedraggled, sodden state, pausing for a moment at the dry slippers clutched tightly in my hands, before moving upwards to painfully make eye contact once more.

The situation reminded me of a time when I had left my elder sister alone in the house to go skating with Fan. When I had returned home, my father was waiting for me in the parlor. He didn't speak a word, no matter how much I prodded him, even after I burst into tears.

I had to work for three months straight to get his trust back.

Even though part of me wanted to scream and throw a tantrum (who was he to order me around?), I sullenly admitted to myself that leaving the room was a bad idea. If I was to make amends, I'd have to grovel.

Best to do it fast and get it over with.

Hesitantly, I stepped forward, dimly aware of how slippery my wet feet made the iron floor. The slippers were strangled in my tight grip as I coughed. "I'm..." One more deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Zuko remained impassively silent, though the tenseness in his shoulders remained.

"I was wrong to leave," I muttered, eyes downcast. "I was only really planning on getting a few breaths of fresh air, but one thing led to another, and..."

No response.

"If it makes you feel any better, I saved a life today," I added weakly, squirming when he frowned even more harshly.

Finally, I gave up. "I'm sorry, Zuko, I really am. I promise-"

"How can I trust your _promises_when you can't even obey a simple order?"

The relief of him finally replying was momentary; my shoulders sagged in defeat.

"I will, Zuko, I will this time," I pleaded. "I'll listen to whatever you say. Please, just...don't be angry." _Because I hate feeling guilty._

My submission seemed to have opened the gates of hell, because from then on, the lion within was let loose. "D_on't be angry?_ How can I _not_be angry when you, the bumbling idiot as always, just goes out in plain view and, even worse, saves a drowning child? How much attention do you want to call upon us? Do you want the whole world to know that we're here? Of all the stupid things-" He paused, an expression of pure resentment marring his scar even more.

"I bet you want a different wife now, don't you?" I muttered, tears pooling under my eyelids for some unknown reason. "I bet you want a nice, pretty, docile wife that you can order around as you wish, not some country bumpkin with uncouth manners who disobeys your every word. I know I'm a burden, but I can't help it!"

I felt a lump form in my mouth, but I gripped my slippers tighter and continued. "I didn't choose this, you know! I didn't choose this marriage, I didn't choose this awful adventure, I didn't choose you." I broke off when tears began spilling down my cheeks. "I just want to go home."

Yes, home. I wanted to go back and take care of my aging father, my sister, my brothers. I wanted to marry Fan, or some other relatively unremarkable man, and lead a simple life, running our estate and passing on the federal delegation to my brothers instead. I didn't want the fancy, high-profile routine of a Fire Lady. I didn't want to be in the spotlight, and I didn't want to be the "mother of the next Fire Lord." Was wanting to choose my own path such a horrible thing?

I didn't notice that the Fire Lord had risen from his seat before he stood directly in front of me, my cold toes almost touching his boots. Suddenly, I remembered the moment directly after our ceremony...the balcony, our first kiss. (And what an awful kiss that was.)

What happened afterwards could not have been any more different.

Taking my chin in a firm grip, Zuko tilted it upwards and clamped his mouth over mine, roughly, firmly, insistently. Marking his territory, resisting my struggles with a strong arm tucked around my waist, pulling my body flush to his.

This kiss was not a mere pecking of the lips that was appropriate for gentry of our status. This kiss was fierce and angry, much longer than our first was, leaving me out of breath and thoroughly confused.

Zuko's expression was carefully hidden as he released me. "No, you did not choose me," he muttered, "but I chose you."

And with that, he left briskly, a damp spot where I had just been soaking down the front of his robes.

Dazed, I sank down to my knees. I touched my lips: bruised and bloodied.

I sat there until my wet hair had dripped a puddle around my skirts.

* * *

Zuko did not return until a long time later, which I was glad for. By that time, my hair had dried and plaited neatly, and I was able to discard the scratchy dress for a fresh cotton one.

Sternly, I reminded myself not to think about the-the-_that which shall not be named_and pretended that all was well. Thankfully, Zuko deliberately did not speak, taking our bags and striding out into the hallway. I followed, exactly three steps behind him.

The ship had docked at the harbor, and the other passengers were in the midst of filing out in an orderly line. I spied Koko, but ducked my head to avoid him. If that which shall not be named happened every time the Fire Lord was incensed, then I didn't want to create another chance for the chain of events to repeat themselves.

Zuko strode straight away from the town (where all the other passengers were heading) and towards the craggy cliffs surrounding the port. The sun was high in the sky, so I wagered that it was around noon, give or take an hour or so. Wordlessly, I followed him into a crevice between the rocks that was shrouded in shade.

The rocks were a golden yellow color that I found rather pleasing, though they were sharp and dangerous; I had to dodge jagged edges periodically throughout the trek. And there was a strange smell as well... Oddly enough, it smelled of a mix of sulfur and hay.

"Oof!" With my head turned to the side, I smashed into an obstacle directly in front of me...a furry, slightly odious, and very, very_ large_obstacle.

A wet tongue slithered out of the giant mouth I had crashed into, licking my face thoroughly as I squeaked, backing away. "A wild...animal?" Said wild animal made a rumbling noise. More spit came out of its mouth, scattering at my feet.

"Appa's perfectly tame," a female voice called from somewhere above us. "Come on up!"

When the Appa blinked its huge, round eyes at me, I found myself unable to move. The creature was startlingly large, yet the more I looked at it, the more amiable and friendly it seemed. (The spit, however, took a while to get used to; my hair was drenched from the sticky stuff.)

"Hey." Zuko's voice penetrated my senses, jerking me out of my haziness. "Stop standing there and follow me."

Obediently, I ducked away from the animal and went to tag along behind the Fire Lord once more, eyeing the Appa's large haunches fearfully. We stopped at its tail, the fuzziest, largest thing I'd ever seen, with a long arrow trailing down its back. At first, I wasn't sure what we were doing at its hind end, but Zuko calmly scaled the Appa's back and landed at the flat of the creature's back, where I saw a saddle sort of mechanism had been fixed.

Clumsily, I followed suit, patting the Appa's tail carefully. It was soft and warm, vibrating with my touch.

When I finally got to the saddle, I found that it was already filled with three others, excluding Zuko: a tall, muscular man dressed in water tribe garb and a beautiful woman in similar clothing (I assumed she'd been the one speaking to me). They looked a little alike-perhaps they were siblings?

Finally, I turned to the last figure, a tall, bald man wearing orange and yellow. A blue arrow was tattooed across his head, and was visible on the tops of his hands as well.

"You're the Avatar!" I cried unthinkingly, my voice unnaturally high-pitched. Immediately after the embarrassing outburst (after I swore not to speak a word!), I clapped my hands over my mouth and shriveled up when the three began to laugh.

The water tribe man in particular was having the time of his life, slapping his knee and snorting in a rather obnoxious manner. "Hee-Zuko, you never said you'd be bringing a kid along!"

"I am not a child!" I shot back, my mouth taking control once more. "I am twenty-two and-and stop laughing!" Slapping the man's bicep proved to hurt me more than it did him...the muscles under his tanned skin were rock hard.

He snorted once more before extending his hand to me. "Nah, I'm just kidding-hehe, get it? _Kid_ding?" Somehow, the awful pun threw him into fits once more.

The woman rolled her eyes and punched the man in the stomach as she strolled up to me. "I'm Katara. You must be Kei." Katara smiled kindly before gesturing at the still-hooting man. "That's my stupid brother Sokka, and lastly my husband Aang."

Aang (_the Avatar himself!_) hopped over, light on his feet. "Hello Kei. It's good to see you're all right."

I mumbled my thanks, shaking his hand gingerly. "Nice to meet you..."

We made awkward introductions before Zuko cleared his throat loudly, the noise making me jump. "Shouldn't we be going?" he asked irritably.

"Loosen up, Zuko," Katara threw over her shoulder as she insistently pushed me down next to him. "You're among friends now. Drop the mask."

I could feel the Fire Lord sigh, his entire body vibrating with the movement. Our arms touched for a millisecond before I jerked it away.

"How will we travel?" I asked Katara, relieved that I wasn't going to be the only female on this mysterious honeymoon. "Is this Appa a form of...giant equine breed?" No, the Appa was too furry to be a horse.

"You think Appa's a _horse_?" Sokka began laughing again. Instinctively, I glowered at him: what was so funny?

"It makes sense that you haven't seen one before," Aang informed me kindly, "Appa is the last flying bison of the airbenders."

_Oh, flying bison, that makes sense. Because bisons normally-_ "F-F-F-F-Fly?" I stuttered in horror. "You mean...we're going to be..._flying_?" Suddenly the amicable animal seemed much more formidable, and I twisted to clutch at the saddle's ridged edges desperately. "Please tell me you're joking."

Katara felt my forehead worriedly. "You're as white as a sheet! Are you afraid of heights?"

"How can you be afraid of heights?" Aang asked in disbelief. "They're the most amazing thing in the world!"

I gulped. "I'm not afraid of blood or gore, and rats and cockroaches don't bother me. Heights, however..."

I wasn't sure when this irrational fear manifested itself, but I had my suspicions: as a child, I had once been stranded at the top of a large tree as the butt of a joke played by my male classmates. Unfortunately, the tree they chose was quite a ways from civilization, so my bawls didn't reach any sympathetic ears until three hours later.

His laughter halting for once, Sokka threw his hands up in the air. "Great. Now we're never going to leave."

"Just go," the Fire Lord commanded. "She'll have to learn to deal with it sooner or later." Hurt, I bit my lip against a caustic retort and stared down at my lap.

Katara turned to him in disbelief. "Zuko, she's your _wife_! How can you say that?" she cried, just as Aang announced, "Appa, yip yip!"

I wasn't sure what 'yip yip' meant, but I hoped it meant something good from the way the Appa (or was it just Appa?) groaned. His large tail began flapping up and down, and he began moving at a much faster rate than a large animal like him could have managed.

By the time I realized what was happening, it was far too late.

A thousand curses ripped themselves out of my throat in the form of a wordless, strangled scream. Stupidly enough, I let go of the side of the saddle and, finding myself in a predicament, leapt across to grab the nearest stronghold.

"Ow! Hey! Stop-you're squeezing me to death!" Coughing, Sokka struggled to yank me off his back, but I clung on, screaming into his ear (a little part of me wanted some petty revenge). "Katara!" he yelled.

The woman turned to look at us. Sighing, she turned to sit next to Aang, who held Appa's reins coolly.

_How can they stay calm?_I thought furiously to myself, unconsciously squeezing the gasping Sokka harder.

"God, squirt, you have a death grip!" he hacked. "Come on, let go for a sec and close your eyes."

"I can't!" I yelled. "I'll die if I let go!"

"No, you won't!" he shouted back, scrabbling at my arms. "Shut up for five seconds and just let go! I promise, you're not going to die!"

I sniffled. "Promise?"

He muttered something about a 'kid' and 'annoying' under his breath before sighing loudly. "You're in the presence of the Avatar, the Fire Lord, a waterbender, and the most amazing swordsman known to man. I'd say you're in good hands." He coughed once more. "Now, if you'll remove _your_hands from my throat..."

Slowly, I unlocked my arms from around his chest, moving them to grab on the back of his shirt...just in case.

"Close your eyes and lie down," the swordsman instructed. "Breathe deep."

Chewing my lower lip, I crawled slowly, lowering myself to the saddle. Flat on my back, I could feel Appa's thrumming back as he floated through the air.

"Okay, now open your eyes," Sokka's voice murmured.

"The sky's so blue," I found myself whispering. "It reminds me of home." Somehow, from this vantage point, the fact that we were currently well above sea level wasn't as bad; rather, we were just closer to the sky.

Wordlessly, I reached up in an attempt to touch a wisp of cloud, of course coming back with nothing but air in my grasp.

"Not so bad now, is it?" Sokka gloated from somewhere next to me.

"No..." I admitted slowly. "No, I suppose it's not."

END

**Next chapter: Fishing in Fog.**

**Food for thought:** _What is the mystery behind Zuko's intentions? Did he choose Kei politically or out of love? Why does he continue to ignore her? What will Kei do in response? Will she pretend the incident never existed, or will she confront the Fire Lord directly? Now that (the majority of) Team Avatar has assembled, what will they do against the rebels? How does Kei factor into all of this?_

(A/N: I wanted to release the next chapter before the day ended, so I cut it short. Many thanks to those who stuck around.)


	3. Fishing in Fog

**Fishing in Fog**

_"When invading hostile territory, the general principle is, that penetrating deeply brings cohesion; penetrating but a short way means dispersion." ~ Sun Tzu, the Art of War_

"Wait, wait, wait..." Glancing over her shoulder, Katara leaned covertly toward me over our cups of jasmine tea. General Iroh's teahouse was bustling; according to the man (who was short and a lot friendlier than I'd imagined him to be), his tea was the best in all of Ba Sing Se.

I took a sip of mine, the aromatic taste permeating my senses in a distinctly pleasant way. Well, General Iroh certainly didn't bluff: this tea was the best I'd ever tasted. Downing it eagerly, I poured myself another cup, ignoring the almond cookies set next to it. I hated almonds.

"So, you're telling me that _this_," Katara gestured between the Fire Lord and me in disbelief, "was arranged?"

Tracing the edge of the porcelain cup uncomfortably, I nodded weakly. "Did he tell you otherwise? Our wedding ceremony was only the second time I've ever met him in person."

"I can't believe this! Of course you'd be angry!" Katara slammed her cup down furiously, tea sloshing out onto the table. She mopped it up with a napkin before it stained the wood permanently, still steaming. "I expected more of Zuko! After all, he-" She halted, glancing over to him shiftily. "You know what, forget it. We'll talk about this later."

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

Katara collected her things and took my hand firmly, mouthing, _"Too many people."_ Turning to her husband, she announced, "Kei and I are going to do some shopping in the marketplace and look for Toph. We'll be back before five."

Immediately, Zuko stood up, spoiling the party as usual. "It's too dangerous." He shifted his gaze from Katara to me, evidently reminding me of the incident earlier that morning. "She can't take care of herself."

Obviously I was considered the burden of the party, and for that I bristled. "I _can_-" The Fire Lord shot me a piercing look, the wrinkle in his frown particularly defined. Even from a distance, his figure seemed to loom over mine, threatening and intimidating.

Noticing my unease, Katara shielded me from him with a fluid step. "Do you not trust me and Toph?"

"I do trust you," he admitted, his molten gaze softening just slightly, "but-"

"But _nothing_. We'll be fine. Go and help your uncle out or something," Katara interrupted, striding out the door and pulling me with her. "Make yourself useful for once and stop being nosy."

"Wow," I breathed in awe as we exited the tea house, leaving Zuko in a begrudgingly silent state, "how can you talk back to him like that?"

"Like what?" Katara was confused. "I've known the guy since he was a exiled teenager with a superiority complex. Underneath all the new titles and stuffy decorum, he's _still_ a guy with a superiority complex."

"A superiority complex?" I echoed as we weaved through the bustling marketplace. Bright and filled with tents of various colors, vendors peeked their heads out of the variegated tents to shout and holler, advertising their goods with much zeal. The bulk of the crowd was composed of housewives, who bickered and bartered with the merchants with just as much ferocity. Each woman carried a larger wicker basket, similar to the one Katara gripped tightly in her hand.

Pushed and shoved like a sack of flour, I fought through the jostling crowd to get to Katara, and ended up holding onto her elbow in an effort not to get washed away. She stopped by a cabbage stand and hefted one in her hand.

"Should we make cabbage dumplings for dinner? Yeah, let's do that." She dropped the vegetable into her basket and paid the vendor before moving on, the woven container hanging cheerily from the crook of her arm.

With my head bobbing near her shoulder, Katara was able to speak normally without getting her voice swallowed by the hubbub. "Well, the thing about Zuko is that he likes to be assured of himself. He likes being the leader, the alpha dog, the head honcho, whatever. He likes knowing where things are, what's going to be happening, et cetera. The thing he can't stand the most," she gave me a meaningful look, "is uncertainty."

We halted at another stand. I weighed a white radish in my palms, feeling the rough exterior with my fingers. "I'm afraid I still don't understand."

More intent on the task at hand, Katara was fast, plopping ingredients in her basket and haggling ferociously before she returned to the conversation. "I can be honest with you, right? We're friends."

Secretly, I was flattered that the Avatar's wife already considered us comrades, and I nodded rapidly as I placed a bunch of chives and some ginger into her basket.

Pleased, she flashed a smile at me and continued. "Honestly, I was surprised when I first saw you. In my opinion, if there were a room filled with eligible women, the last person he'd pick to marry would be you."

"Oh." I should have been happy, but instead I felt even more muddled and slightly disappointed. _Then why did he pick me, of all people? I am not the richest, nor the most intelligent, and certainly not the prettiest. I'm just the daughter of a backwash governor-so why?_

"Not that you're not great and all," Katara hurried to recover, "you're beautiful and sweet-but if I had to say it, Zuko goes for the more quiet, brooding type. A more elegant, poetic beauty, if you will."

"I can be plenty poetic!" I blurted out irritably, realizing too late that I had already dug my own grave with my words. "I mean...continue."

"Well, that's just it," Katara pointed out, "It's weird, because it seems like he purposely chose someone that he'd be the least compatible with: you're innocent and curious, sometimes painfully honest, and combined with Zuko, you're like fire and water.

"Honestly speaking, I don't get it at all. It seems like the more you act, the angrier Zuko gets, but at the same time, I can only rationalize this by assuming that maybe, he's attracted to those points-to the uncertainty that you present him." She sighed, shaking her head. "But it's only a theory. Believe me, I don't get it either."

"Do you think he'll be averse to divorce?" I wondered aloud absently, almost tripping over a fallen carrot.

"Divorce!" Katara was so shellshocked that she ran into a vendor's tent pole, shaking the entire stand and jostling the fish in their ice cocoons. Apologizing quickly to the merchant, Katara shook her head. "That'd be the same thing as telling Zuko to admit that he lost."

"I suppose you think I should just resign myself to this fate," I mumbled sullenly under the noise of the marketplace. Ducking under a hanging basket of celery, I trailed after Katara forlornly. "But I can't help fighting even when there is no hope; Katara, I don't think I could ever be happy with him."

"It's true that I'd like to see Zuko settled and married for once, but Zuko's behavior_ is_ puzzling." Katara sighed again. "Well, I'll ask Aang later to see what he thinks. For now, our mission is to find Toph."

"Toph?" I asked, remembering her saying something about it before we had left.

"My friend. She's an earthbender. Oh," Katara added, "and don't be put off if the first impression isn't that great; she warms up eventually." Taking my hand again, she pulled me into a shop that was advertising a colorful assortment of rock candy. Buying three, she held one out to me.

I accepted the sweet, thanking her softly. It was red and sparkly...just like my betrothal ring. I glanced down at the set of rubies and pearls, and back at the strawberry-flavored rock candy. A soft sigh, blown away with the wind, escaped from my lips.

We sat on a bench outside of the shop, waiting for this mysterious 'Toph'. Noisily, Katara crunched away on her stick as I watched the pedestrians pass by, licking my own candy errantly.

"So, tell me more about yourself, Kei," Katara prodded. "Tell me about your home."

Home. Now there was a topic I didn't mind unearthing.

So I told her about home, remembering the grassy plains and sweet-smelling meadows, the high breeze in the morning, and the trickling river behind the house. In the summer, we'd tie up watermelons in netting and attach them to a rock, leaving them to cool as they bobbed happily in the current. Then, we'd strip down to our undergarments and swim like lunatics with the freshwater fish until our fingers and toes were all pruny. By the time we were tired and thirsty, the watermelons would be cool enough to eat. They were so fresh and juicy, red and ripe, and so, so sweet.

I told her about the huge trees lining our land, about the origin of my fear of heights, about my large orchard and vegetable garden, where I grew my watermelons and carrots and things. I spoke about my days spent in the library or on the hammock, swinging until I fell asleep with a book on my lap. By the time I left the house for the wedding, I had read every book we had in the library.

I told her about my father, my siblings, and what I could remember about my mother. She died when I was eight while she was giving birth to the twins, so many memories were hazy, though the ones I could remember were lucid and colorful. She would sing my sister and me a lullaby every night, sending us to sleep with dreams of princes and white horses and castles.

Katara asked about my past loves and, reluctantly, I told her about Fan, with his wavy black hair, smiling eyes, and dimpled cheeks. I told her about our Friday night dates, when he would whisk me off to a dinner or to a dance. I wasn't a very good dancer, but I enjoyed the music, and he was a good lead anyway.

Fan was the best firebender in our district, and oh was he proud of it. I remembered him coming up to me, flashing his newly minted badge that signified his promotion from a cadet to an officer, asking me to thank my father for his favor.

"He calls me his little flower," I recounted, blushing. "At least, he used to."

"Oh, gross!" Katara spat out a mouthful of rock candy, surprising me. "That is probably the cheesiest thing I've ever heard."

"Hey," I defended hotly, "I think it's cute!" And it _was_ cute. I couldn't deny that it was horribly cliched, but if only Katara could hear the way he said it...

"Katara," a voice interjected blandly, "is that rock candy? Because if it is, hand it over."

"Toph!" A huge smile brightening her face, the Avatar's wife leapt up from her seat, throwing her arms around a pale, unblinking woman with cropped hair. She was dressed in simple green clothing, but strangely, her feet were left bare.

"Toph, this is Kei, Zuko's wife." Ignoring my recoil at her form of address, Katara dragged me over to the new woman, who was now crunching noisily away at the colorful sweet. "Kei, this is Toph, my best friend. Toph is an earthbender, by the way."

An earthbender! Then, this woman must have been the blind earthbender that accompanied the Avatar on his quest to master all four elements...

I glanced at the woman's eyes, which I now noticed were bright and glassy, but unseeing.

"How do you walk around by yourself?" I blurted out unthinkingly, my mind instinctively jumping to my elder sister, who couldn't do anything without someone by her side.

Unfortunately, this seemed to touch a sore nerve, as both Katara and Toph grimaced. "Look, I might be blind, but I sure as hell can beat you any day, so swallow all your crap about disabilities before I do it for you," Toph snapped, taking a threatening step towards me.

"Sorry," I replied immediately, shuffling backwards nervously. "I have a sister who's also blind, so..."

Toph calmed down and squared her shoulders. "Then you should learn to give her more freedom."

"But she can't do anything!" I protested despite my conscience warning me not to tread any further. "She can't even stay in the house by herself!"

"That's because you're not letting her, doofus!" the blind earthbender cried, her outburst attracting the attention of more than a couple passersby.

"Doofus?" I yelled back indignantly. "Couldn't you think of a better insult?"

"Yeah, I can!" Toph snarled threateningly. "It's-"

Instantly, Katara stepped in between us, dragging us both back in the direction of the teahouse. "That's enough, you two," she scolded. "Toph, apologize. Kei, sorry about that."

"Why is it always me who has to say sorry?" Toph demanded as I trudged next to Katara, unwilling to look at the blind girl. Not that she would have seen me, anyway. "She's the one who-"

"That's enough," Katara interrupted firmly. Somehow, I had the feeling that she would be a very capable mother.

The three of us descended into a sullen, awkward silence, returning to the busy marketplace and dodging elbows and food baskets. Silently, I marveled at Toph's ability to magically sense where things were, stepping over or moving away from them with a practiced ease. Would my sister be able to do that one day, with practice?

I knew, deep within my heart, that I was in the wrong this time. Perhaps I was too close-minded; perhaps I was the one who bound my sister's wings, just as Zuko bound my own.

It still didn't mean I had forgiven Toph yet, though.

_Hypocrite._

Once more, my heart drifted back towards home, where life was peaceful and every day trickled away, mundane but tranquil. I had a loving family, a fulfilling occupation, a kind and tender suitor who loved me.

I had no allies here.

The Avatar was a friend of the Fire Lord, not of me.

His wife would surely side with her husband and her friends.

The brother, Sokka, openly mocked me.

The earthbender, Toph, already detested me.

The Fire Lord, above all, would remain my enemy.

Even his poisonous kisses could not, _would not_ shake me.

* * *

When we returned, I refused to meet anyone's gaze and shuffled into the kitchen to store the goods we'd bought. I helped with dinner and chewed my way through the meal, drawing away from the Avatar's chatter and answering all attempts to engage me with short, succinct sentences.

All I wished for was sleep. Sleep, and then I would devise a plan of attack. Escape was impossible, a divorce unlikely, but at the very least, I could draw my own restrictions. My boundary lines...I could be a little island, floating in the sea that was controlled by the Fire Lord, with some semblance of control.

This was not yielding! This was... I yawned, stretching as I began undressing to my thin shift. _I'm going hysterical. Too tired._

The room General Iroh had installed me in was directly on top of the teahouse. Perhaps the elderly man had predicted my discomfort among the strangers who were directly allied with my enemy-er, husband-and saw it fit for me to be the sole bearer of a single room. The room was on the small side, but made up for the dearth of space with the fluffiest bed I'd ever seen. The magnificent mattress took up most of the room, but was fun to bounce on: with each touch, the bed responded in turn. Not bothering to fold my clothes, I kicked off my shoes and flung myself onto the comforter, sighing contentedly as I buried my face into the soft blankets.

Soft laughter filtered up from the floor below. I heard Sokka's ear-grating cackle mingle with Katara's cloyingly cheerful guffaws before burrowing further into the bedsheets.

Solitude was preferable to fraternizing with the enemy. I didn't need to be befriended by the Avatar, or Katara, or Sokka, and certainly not Toph. I didn't need any pity. I could stand very well on my own!

Crawling over to turn the lamp on the nearby bedside table off, I snuggled into the blankets with a happy exhale.

_Finally, some peace and quiet. No Avatar, no Avatar's friends, and most of all, no Zuko._

Sleep came to me easily, but only lingered in the back of my head, submerging me in empty dreams only halfway.

* * *

The door creaked open, and I drowsily came to in the darkness. As the muted footsteps creeped closer, I shifted slightly, rubbing my eyes while calling out, "Who is it?"

The shadowy figure crept closer, moving slowly in the inky black. Instantly, I was alert, my blood pulsing urgently in my ears.

"Stop!" I commanded as forcefully as I could, gripping my pillow for protection. "Who are you?"

_Light. I need some light._

_Fire._

_How did I conjure the fire earlier today?_

Fumbling in my blankets, I stretched my fingers, hurriedly attempting to create an orb of light, anything.

Sparks. They flew from my fingertips before dissolving uselessly into thin air.

_Bigger._ I concentrated on condensing the invisible miasma into my hands, frantically keeping an eye open as the figure neared the bed.

_Larger._

_Stronger._

_BOOM._ The force I had compressed between my palms became cohesive for a split second before exploding into a ball of flames, provoking a shriek of surprise and terror from my lips and causing my head to whip backwards, smacking into the wooden headboard violently.

The ache seemed unimportant when I surveyed the room.

The night intruder was nowhere to be seen.

The door banging open elicited another short scream from me, and the blazing light orb fizzled out abruptly.

Zuko framed the doorway, his eyes immediately scanning the premises before landing on me. Avatar Aang and Sokka peered around him, and I caught the sight of Toph's green headband somewhere behind the fray.

I almost withered in embarrassment, sitting in my bed in only a sheer shift and hair in disarray, while the Avatar, the water tribe soldier, and the Fire Lord looked on.

"Looks like we've got a pyromaniac on our hands," Sokka whistled.

"We heard a bang and came up," Katara chimed in, worming her way through the men.

"T-There was someone in my room," I hurried to explain, internally chastising myself when my voice wavered. My hands were shaking, so I quickly sat on them, wincing when I inadvertently agitated the burns. "I tried to make a fireball-"

"To throw it at the intruder?" General Iroh, to my extreme consternation, entered the room and appraised the damage I'd done. Apparently, the bang had inflicted more harm than I'd noticed before-the walls had a few distinct scorch marks, and my hands were covered in reddish burns that began to ache noticeably.

"A mistake of a novice," the old man continued, causing me to shrivel up even more. "But understandable."

Commenting that the fireball was made to light up the room instead seemed too embarrassing, so I kept quiet. Besides, who could talk back to General Iroh?

The Fire Lord folded his arms and frowned. "We would have noticed an intruder." He seemed irked at the prospect of him overlooking an intrusion, and looked at me suspiciously.

"There was one!" I shouted indignantly, drawing my sheets up to my shoulders in an attempt to cover myself. "I promise!"

"I told you she was a freak," the blind earthbender grumbled while the Avatar's eyes brightened, focusing on me. "What is that?" he asked, pointing at the bed.

Looking down, I discovered a small sheet of paper lying near my arm. "I-I don't know," I admitted, unfolding it slowly. "It wasn't here before."

"Give me that." I caught the words 'return', 'wife', and 'explosion' before the paper was wrenched out of my grasp. Crossing the room in three easy steps, Zuko snatched the letter out of my hands roughly, his eyes scanning the words on the paper quickly. Once I began protesting, he crumpled the paper and incinerated it quickly with a small flame.

I was slightly envious of the way he could conjure a flame so easily. The most I could produce now was a stupid spark.

"Katara, stay with her." Turning his back on me, Zuko brushed past Katara, who came to sit on the bed.

I caught her looking wistfully at her husband's receding back as he ushered the rest of the room's occupants out, leaving us in silence.

A guilty feeling swirled in my gut as Katara made herself comfortable on the large bed. "Scary night, huh?" she smiled pleasantly. "Don't worry, I'm a capable waterbender and-oh, your hands!" Taking them, she examined the burns before drawing some water out of a pouch on her belt. Encasing both of our palms in the cool liquid, she made a sort of humming noise in her throat as the water began to glow.

My itchy palms tingled, and I gasped. "What is this?" I couldn't help asking.

"Healing. A special bonus to waterbending," Katara replied. When she let go, my hands were healed completely. She moved her hand to the back of my head, to the lump that the Masked Man had given me. "There." Glancing up, she smiled warmly at me, though I could detect a hint of bitterness in her eyes. "Want to tell me what's going on?"

I placed a hand to my sputtering heart, breathing slowly as I sank down against the pillows. "I heard the door open, and I saw a figure coming towards the bed," I explained slowly, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that there had been an intruder in my room. "He-or she-didn't respond to my calls, so I tried to make a ball of light. Then, it exploded, and when I opened my eyes, he was gone."

"Hmm," Katara mused, "Well, I'm not sure what to make of this."

"I'd rather not think about it," I muttered, burying myself in the blankets and holding myself until the shudders went away. "I just want to sleep."

From somewhere behind me, I could hear the blankets rustling as Katara got off the bed, shifting hesitantly. "Kei, I understand that you're shaken up, but I think I should tell you this..."

I opened my mouth to make a snide remark just as she continued, "Aang found out why Zuko married you."

Almost springing up from the bed, I calmed myself. No need to seem overeager. "And what was the reason?" I asked as calmly as I could, opening one eye to glance at the woman by my bed.

I didn't know what I expected. Politics was the easy answer, but it didn't explain his odd burst of passion earlier today. Love-surely not. He'd met me a total of two times. Money...improbable, considering that my funds didn't amount to even an eighth of his. And he didn't marry me for my unsurpassed beauty, because my tangled wavy hair and sunkissed, slightly freckled skin were "all the rage." (The trend was straight, glossy hair and pale-as-death skin, by the way.)

Katara seemed pained, and gripped her skirts awkwardly. "Trust me, we're all upset over this. Even Toph."

"Toph hates me," I couldn't help mumbling.

"She doesn't hate you...and, well, she dislikes Zuko more than you at the moment, if that makes you feel any better." Katara sighed, seeming to resolve the inner turmoil showing on her face. "Kei...Zuko married you for revenge."

My eyes popped open, and I sat up.

This was definitely one of the possibilities I _hadn't_ entertained.

"Explain."


	4. Going Home

**Going Home**

_"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt." ~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War_

The moment Katara spoke of the Fire Lord's old flame, Lady Mai, my suspicions of the Fire Lord's true intentions grew as my respect for him plummeted. Apparently, even highborn, talented generals could succumb to the most pathetic of human emotions.

They were in a serious relationship for about three years since his coronation before they broke up (specifically, in Katara's words, _she _dumped _him_) for undisclosed reasons. I had my suspicions about that as well, but if I had to narrow it down to one reason...to say it plainly, she got sick of his stubborn, eggheaded ways and decided to, according to Toph, "scoot before she had to really commit." Honestly, I couldn't blame her; once you looked past the handsome exterior, the power, the riches, and the overwhelming title, he was really just a contemptuous, overbearing man who kept far too many secrets and had no sense of humor, much less any notion of romance.

He had gotten over the heartbreak, at least on the surface, until she married a prominent lord-just around the time when the royal advisors began pestering the Fire Lord about his own marriage prospects. Frustrated and jealous (Zuko, whose default expressions fluctuated between deadpan and furious, jealous? Such a petty emotion on his face, I couldn't imagine it), the Firelord agreed on a whim to select a bride out of the nobility present at the New Year's celebration.

That bride was me.

Just my luck.

"But how would this be remotely vengeful?" I asked Katara, puzzling over this new turn of events. "Either he was drunk off his feet or just _not thinking_, because I certainly don't see how this is revenge."

"Maybe revenge was the wrong way to word it," Katara amended. "I think that Zuko wanted to prove to Mai that he was just as well off, and having a pretty wife was the cherry on top. He most likely chose you based on your character-your personality is the complete opposite of Mai's, and he was probably trying to make a statement based on that."

Yes, perhaps it was my facade of docility, my body bowed over his feet, that attracted him to me in comparison to Lady Mai, strong and pale and beautiful, intelligent and capable of fending for herself. Lady Mai was a woman of her own right. I was a simple governor's daughter who liked to dally her days away reading and baking.

Disgusted, I clenched a pillow in my arms angrily. "So he thought it was acceptable to just rip my life apart and bind me to a lifelong marriage? I don't know if he realizes this, but even if we were to divorce, I'd be no more than the Fire Lord's used goods!"

Katara looked genuinely pained. "Well, I'm sure it wouldn't be _that_ bad," she consoled me rather unconvincingly.

"He is an awful, awful man," I wailed, my outburst muffled as I buried my face into a fluffy pillow. First the night intruder, and now this. Was this day _never_ going to end?

From her stance near the bedpost, Toph sighed, shaking her head. "You've probably cried more today than I've ever cried in my entire life." She folded her arms before climbing onto the end of the bed, far from me but close enough to talk without feeling awkward. "The little shits are gone. Going back to the capital for New Year's. They're planning on keeping us here with Iroh until the festivities end." Leaning out of the window, she spat messily out into the yard, as if to say 'good riddance'.

"How do you know that?" I demanded, indignant not because of the earthbender but because of the men (_how DARE he!_).

She pointed at her ears. "My hearing's crazy good. Plus, I can actually think."

Katara folded her arms, her mouth curved downwards as she mulled over the situation, a brooding expression on her face. "Kei."

I popped my head up. "Yes?"

"Did you see what the note said?"

Chewing my lip, I tried to remember. "Something about an explosion. Maybe fireworks, I don't know."

"_Fireworks?_" Toph scoffed. "More like bombs, idiot. Okay, so let's say that it was a threat involving bombs that would force Zuko to go back for New Year's festival."

"It would have to endanger one or all of us," Katara continued, "or else they would've taken us along."

My heart sputtered for a moment, remembering what the Masked Man had told me: "_Wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself at the big event."_

"The big event..." I muttered. "The rebels are planning something."

Toph shook her head. "I gathered," she sighed loudly. "Anyway, are we going to go or not?"

"We-we're going?" I squeaked, clutching my blankets again just as Katara shook her head and interjected, "No, we're going to need a game plan."

"Why?" Toph demanded loudly.

Katara counted off on her fingers. "One, we need to find a mode of transportation, Miss I'm-Such-A-Great-Thinker. Two, we can't just waltz back into the palace, because everyone has seen Kei's face at least once. Besides, a waterbender and a blind earthbender together? People would narrow it down pretty fast. Three, we have to train Kei."

"Me? Train?" I stuttered like an idiot, crawling away from the two girls as much as I could. "I can't! I mean, look at the mess I made!" I gestured wordlessly at the char marks on the ceiling and on the walls.

"Iroh can teach you some preliminary firebending," Katara decided quickly. "Just enough to get you started. And I can call up some old friends to give you some sparring lessons."

"Sparring?" I repeated weakly, already feeling sore and dizzy. "I'm not a fighter."

"Don't be a pansy, Fire Lady," Toph added in roughly. "If you want to get back at Zuko, you gotta show him who's boss."

Wondering what 'boss' would entail, I shrunk further into my sheets and shook my head violently. "I don't think I can do this. I don't know if I even _want_ to get back at him; after all, I'm stuck. There's not way out."

"Sure there is." Oddly enough, Toph was very enthusiastic in her own rash, caustic way. "See here, I've got it all figured out." She smacked her chest cavity importantly as Katara looked on, a weary but amused smile on her face. "You're going to make Stone Cold Zuko fall in love with you."

Something in my head must have combusted at that point, because I felt myself sliding down my pillows just as my eyes rolled back into their sockets and my range of vision got smaller and smaller. And just like that, I was out like a light.

"Toph, I think she just fainted."

"Pansy."

* * *

Breathe.

That was my main focus, sitting on the floor in the lotus position, balancing a glass of ice cold water on my head. The sounds of the bustling teahouse downstairs did not faze me. Neither did the sound of Toph's gum, as she smacked it against her teeth and attempted to blow a giant bubble. It popped loudly, and she snorted before snapping it back into her mouth and chewing some more.

No. I was concentrating on the sound now, and that wasn't good. I needed to focus on something else. Something else...

My eyes closed, I dove into the darkness to the core of my being, finding the fire and molding it, dancing around it, drawing it up and out, up and out.

_Breathe._

The warmth snaked up from my stomach and slithered down my shoulders, revolving in my palm. Now, I just needed to materialize it in my hand-

"So," Toph suddenly declared, snapping her gum loudly, "I was thinking of ways you could seduce Zuko, and-"

My concentration shattered and I jolted, eyes flying open. The warmth shrunk back somewhere into my chest, the sensation replaced by a freezing wash of cold water and a stinging slap to the back. The now-empty glass rolled over on its side next to my feet, its contents soaking into my shirt and hair.

"You got distracted. _Again._"

I glanced up timidly at the Kyoshi warrior, who was folding a wooden fan in her gloved hands. In the corner, another girl, dressed in pink, balanced on her hands before contorting herself into a human pretzel. Neither of the women wore the traditional white and red makeup of the famed women soldiers, but somehow they seemed just as fierce without the paint.

In the meantime, Toph was cackling at my expense. "You get so self-conscious whenever we talk about him," she snorted, slapping her knee as she rolled around on the floor.

Conversely, Katara, who was also training, ignored the ruckus, hands folded in her lap, glass of water balanced perfectly atop her head.

Suki, the Kyoshi warrior with the fan, balanced another full glass of well water onto my head. "Do it again, and this time, you shouldn't even be able to _hear_ Toph's voice, let alone react to it."

"What's the _point_ of all this?' I asked, subtly whining but unable to move for fear of getting drenched again. (Not that it would make much difference, considering that I was soaked to the skin, but that water was _cold_.)

"Balance. Concentration. Tranquility." Suki paced around me, her footsteps scarcely making any sound on the wooden floor. "All essential for a warrior."

"But I'm _not_ a warrior," I protested, swaying slightly.

"Of course you aren't." Suki's tone was brusque and terse. "But you will be, if you want to one-up Mai."

"Hey," the girl in pink suddenly interjected, "Mai's my best friend. Watch it, Suki."

"Sorry, Ty Lee," Suki laughed, "but honestly, I do sympathize with this girl more."

"Neutral party," Ty Lee shrugged, "though I _will_ help you with your flexibility."

I paled, the glass atop my head dislodging from its perch, its contents sloshing down my face. "F-Flexibility?"I stuttered, not even feeling the cold water at this point.

Suki's frustrated sigh, Toph's jeering laugh, Katara's perfect balance, and Ty Lee's sneaky smirk didn't help matters much at all.

* * *

I fidgeted under General Iroh's cool stare, wanting to scratch at an itch on my back but finding myself paralyzed in my seat.

"Eat. Drink. Is the tea not good?" The old man waved at the steaming cup of jasmine tea set in front of me expectantly.

Jerkily, I sipped the tea, wincing as it scalded the back of my throat. "Yes, it's delicious, sir."

"Call me Uncle." General Iroh took a seat in front of me, perusing a sheet of paper that held the results of my training. Suki had attempted to school me in balance and focus, as well as simple hand-to-hand combat. Ty Lee, I discovered, was an excellent acrobatist, and worked on improving the fluidity of my movements. Katara taught me some basic paralysis techniques and healing using pressure points, a topic that I enjoyed the most, while Toph tried to strengthen my inner core (and gave me advice on the "art of seduction", as she called it).

"Why the face?" General Iroh's stern demeanor melted into a smile as he set down the paper. "I will not hurt you; after all, you are family now."

_Family._ One more relative that I didn't care for. I nodded slowly, but despite my tension, I felt my limbs relaxing from the man's sunny grin.

"Now. Your bones and joints are more delicate than most, so you do not have the physical strength to surpass a large opponent, as I surmised. Although you have excellent balance, you lose your focus easily." He reached across the table to grab a green bean cake, popping it into his mouth as he read the results aloud. "You're not a bad runner but you tire easily, and your strength leaves much to be desired."

I squirmed, embarrassed, and covered it up with a large gulp of tea.

"Now, your firebending." He set the note down. "It's a puzzling thing, this power of yours. Give me your wrist."

Taking my wrist in his large hand, he placed his fingers at my pulse points, feeling the blood coursing through my veins. "Yes...it's quite curious..." He let go, and I retracted my wrist quickly to safety under the table. "Normally, firebenders have very high body temperatures and strong chi, but yours seem to, well, fluctuate."

"Fluctuate?" I echoed.

"It reflects the chi of a firebender at one second and then that of a normal person the next. It's all very strange," General Iroh muttered, "and worrying."

Paling, I gripped the rims of the teacup nervously. "Is that...bad?"

General Iroh shook his head. "Not necessarily. At any rate, you will have difficulty controlling your bending, as it seems to be weak and relatively volatile. Instead of learning how to fight with your fire, I believe we should work on controlling it instead."

"Oh." I felt both disappointed and relieved; on one hand, I didn't have to fight. On the other...well, I felt a little useless.

What kind of firebender was I if I couldn't even bend properly?

"Practice drawing out the flame," General Iroh instructed. "Once you habitualize those movements and remember the sensations, you will be more adept at not only invoking your flame but restraining it. Now, what do you normally do?"

Nervously, I lifted my hands up into the air and tried to imagine the flame popping into existence, starting from my chest and snaking through my arms and materializing on my palm.

A tiny, sputtering flame appeared at the tips of my fingers, and I sighed in relief. At least I got the flame out.

"No, no, no!" General Iroh extinguished my flame quickly, standing up from the table and leading me outside to the back of the tea house. "You're going about it all wrong. Listen, this is how you do it..."

* * *

Hours later, I lay on my bed, arms and knees moaning with every tiny movement. I felt as if I'd just run a marathon, though General Iroh only taught me the five core stances of a firebender and made me go through each phase (tiger, dragon, monkey, snake, and bird) hundreds upon hundreds of times.

I was alone, staring at the canopied ceiling, and for that I was grateful. Katara, Suki, and even Toph and Ty Lee were nice people, but...they weren't my friends. I wasn't comfortable with them, with the image of my husband floating above their heads. They were all connected to him in some way, and just _thinking_ about him made a shiver travel through my body in disgust.

Katara was helping out downstairs at the teahouse, I knew, and Toph was off doing...something. I'd heard that Suki and Ty Lee were outside attempting to procure a method of transportation and a way to get into the palace without being detected.

The Kyoshi warriors were an amazing people. I felt pathetic in comparison to the two women, who were going out and concocting brilliant plans while I lay on my bed, relaxing and complaining silently about my aches and pains.

Slowly, I lifted myself off the soft bed and trudged downstairs, looking for Katara. Perhaps I would be of some use in the kitchen.

As it was nearing dusk, the teahouse wasn't very busy, with only a few customers scattered here and there, most of them preparing to leave. Katara, who was wearing the teahouse uniform, was seated at a table along with the other girls, discussing heatedly over...something.

Ty Lee glanced up to meet my eyes and smiled brightly, waving me over. "Come here, we're making our battle plans."

"Battle plans?" Katara sputtered, her face turning a darkish red. "_This_ is what you call _battle plans_? I'm a married woman, for Heaven's sake! I can't do this!"

"Come on, Katara," Toph drawled, playing with a strand of her bangs, "it'll be fun. New experiences and all that jazz." Her fingers stopped abruptly in their movements. "Wait, does this mean I have to wear makeup?"

"And a dress," Suki added weakly.

"Dangit."

I entered the conversation apprehensively. "What...are we talking about?"

"_She's_ a married woman, too!" Katara protested, her voice rising in decibels with each word. "How would people react if they found out the _Fire Lady_'s masquerading as a-a PROSTITUTE!"

Instantly, we (excluding Toph) all whipped our heads around to glance around the teahouse worriedly. Thankfully, it had emptied out while we weren't looking, the only "customer" left being a tabby cat who'd wandered in.

"A _prostitute_?" I repeated disbelievingly, unsure of what I'd just heard.

"Entertainers," Ty Lee corrected. "Dancers, pretty faces, you know, those girls who pour the wine at fancy banquets?"

"Entertainers," I mumbled, wishing that we didn't have to go through with the plan of going back home. Why couldn't we just stay in safety at the Jasmine Dragon? "We'll be going disguised as 'entertainers'."

"It's our only hope," Suki defended. "We won't be able to get in any other way."

"Why can't we all be Kyoshi warriors?" Katara interjected. Obviously, she was very against the idea. Toph, on the other hand, seemed ambivalent.

"Because that's our first obvious choice," Ty Lee answered. "Catch them off guard, remember?"

Frustrated, Katara suppressed an annoyed sigh and turned to me hopefully. "Kei, you're against this, right?"

Every girl, including Toph, who fixed her blank eyes on me with scary precision, turned to me expectantly. Self-conscious, I looked down at my feet.

"Well," I began haltingly, "do we really have to go?"

"Heck yes," Toph replied instantly. "Next question."

"Is it really our only choice?" I wavered hopefully. Being a prostitute/"entertainer" was _not_ my cup of tea, and Katara was right: if we were found out, it would carry unimaginable consequences for not only myself, but the royal family _and_ the Avatar.

Suki seemed apologetic but fixed on the idea. "Yes," she said with absolute confidence. "We scoured the entire town for possibilities. There's no other way."

"The Golden Lily's ship leaves in an hour," Ty Lee prompted. "It's our only chance to get there in time."

The masked man had come after me for a reason. He gave me my powers for a reason; my sudden firebending was not accidental-I was sure of that now. There was something more to the festival than the "bombing", I knew it.

The Scarlet Tear was planning something, something bad. Zuko felt it, too: an ominous premonition. I was no hero, but I wasn't going to be a pathetic, weak girl any longer.

I wasn't a poor governor's daughter anymore. I was the Fire Lord's wife, whether he liked it or not, and I had a hand in this business.

I lifted my head and glanced at Katara, who looked at me, defeated. She nodded wearily. "Then yes. I'll do it."

We were going home.

* * *

_Apologies for the long wait. I stumbled onto a minute writer's block at the beginning of this chapter and wasn't happy with the way I wrote it. After several revisions, I'm still not completely satisfied but it will have to do for now. I hope the characters are as realistic as possible, and if you have any questions or critiques, please write them in the review box or PM me so I can address them._

_I want to outline the story in its entirety before I continue (I'm embarrassed to admit that I've been playing this entire story by ear so far), so it may take some time to get the next chapter out, but fear not, I'm not giving up yet._

_Thank you for reading._


End file.
